Control apparatus



0 P. HIPPLE.

CONTROL APPARATUS APPLICATION man JULY a, 1916.

1 ,358,74:(). Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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k mm ATTORNEY 0 P. HIPPLE.

CONTROL APPARATUS:

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. 1916.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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45 Wlk/ ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER P. HIPPLE, OF BRYN MAWR, WILKINSBURG TOWNSHIP, ALLEGHENY COUNTY,PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'IO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURINGCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CONTROL APPARATUS.

Application filed July 3,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER P. HIPPLE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Bryn Mawr, Wilkinsburg township, in the county ofAllegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Control Apparatus,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to control apparatus and particularly tocontrollers for governing the operation of propelling motors forelectric vehicles.

One object of my invention is to provide a very compact and durablecontroller having readily accessible parts.

Another object of my invention is to provide a single controller thatmay be actuated from either end of an electric vehicle.

Another object of my invention is to rovide a cam-operated switch thatshall have a very quick action, an arc shield that may be turned torender the contacts immediately available for inspection purposes and animproved clip for holding the arc shield in place. 7

Another object of my invention is to provide a controller drum which iseccentric to the shaft by which it is actuated.

Heretofore, it has been customary to employ a controller at each end ofan electric vehicle. My invention provides a single controller havingcontinuously extending operating shafts by means of which the controllermay be operated from either end of the car, thereby greatly decreasingthe cost of control equipments. Furthermore, my invention provides animproved arrangement of cam-operated switches in combina tion with areverser drum which insures a compact controller structure. My inventionalso provides an improved cam-operated switch having a movable contactmember that is mounted on a relatively long spring and an actuating armhaving a stirrup at one end which restricts the movement of the contactmember and thereby provides an effectively operating switch.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawing is a side-elevational view, withcover removed, of a controller embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a Viewon the line II-II of Fi 1; Fig. 3 is aview on the line 111- II of Fig.1; Fig. 4 is a view of a por' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

1916. Serial No. 107,250.

tion of the device shown in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a sectional view ofthe arc shield for the switch shown in Fig. 3.

The controller illustrated in the accompanying drawing embodies a casing1, a plurality of parallel shafts 2 and 3 which respectively actuate areverser drum 4 and a plurality of cam-operated switches 5. The casing 1is provided with end members 6 and 7 that have bearings 8 in which theshafts 2 and 8 are rotatably mounted. The end member 7 is, furthermore,provided with a threaded socket 9 by which the controller may be securedto a suitable holding frame. The shaft members 2 and 3 extend beyond theends of the casing and are adapted to be actuated from either end of thecontroller. The shaft 2 is operatively connected to the rotatablymounted reverser drum 4 by a crank arm 10, which is secured to the shaft2, a link 11, and a crank arm 12 which is secured to the drum 4. Thecrank arm 12 also constitutes a portion of the drum-interlocking cam 13.The shaft 3 is provided with a plurality of cams 14, which are adaptedto actuate the switches 5, and a star wheel 15 which has a plurality ofnotches for accentuating the positions of the shaft 3. The drum 4 andthe shaft 3 are interlocked by a pawl 16 that is biased to engagementwith the cam 13 and the star wheel 15 by a spring 17. A plurality ofcontact fingers 18 engage conducting segments that are mounted upon thereverser drum 4.

Each of the cam-operated switches 5,

which are shown in detail in Fig. 3 of the' drawing, comprises asupporting base 20, a stationary contact member 21, a movable contactmember 22 that is adapted to cooperate with the contact member21 and ispivotally mounted on a support 23, a spring 24 for biasing the switchmembers to a closed position, a blow-out coil 25 and an arc shield 26.The base 20 is of any suitable insulating material and is rigidlyattached to the casing 1 by bolts 27 and is provided, at its lower end,with a bearing '28 for the reverser drum 4. The stationary contactmember 21 is secured to the base 20 by a plurality of bolts 29, one ofwhich also the bolt 30. The coil 25 is provided with a shield 19 that issecured to the contact member 21. The arc shield 26 is pivotally mountedupon the coil 25 by a central bolt 31 which extends between the twosides of the arc shield and is held in place by a clip 32 having oneendrigidly secured to the base 20 and the other end provided with apivotally mounted bar 33 that engages notches 34 in the sides of the arcshield to retain the same in place. The movable switch member 22 isprovided with an arm 34 that is pivotally mounted upon the support 23 ata point intermediate its ends and has one end secured to a spring 35 bya bolt 36, the other end having a stirrup 37 which restricts themovement ofthe spring 35 to a predetermined small degree and therebyinsures a very positive action of the contact members. A contact member39 and a shunt 40 are secured to the other end of the spring 35, and theshunt 10 is also secured to the support 23. The end of the arm 34* isprovided with a roller 41 that cooperates with the cam 14: to actuatethe switch. By extending the shafts 2 and 3 through the ends of thecasing 1, the controller may be mechanicallyactuated from either end ofthe electric vehicle with which it is used. By grouping the switches 5and the drum 4: between the parallel shafts 2 and 3, the controller isrendered of very compact construction. The addition of the stirrup 37,which restricts the movement of the contact member 39 to'a predeterminedsmall degree, insures a very quick separation and a quick and positiveengagement-of the contact members 21 and 22. The clip 32, which holdsthe arc shield 26 in place, may be sprung outwardly until the bar 33disengages the notches 34c and the member 33 may be turned from itsillustrated position, whereby the shield 26 may be turned on the bolt 31to render the contacts 21 and 22 available for inspection.

Although T have described my invention as incorporated in a specificform of control, it is obviously not limited to this construction and lldesire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be imposed as areindicated in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a switch, a base, a plurality of cooperating contact membersmounted upon said base, a pivotall mounted arc shield associated withsaid base, and latching mounted at substantially the center thereof,

a spring rigidly secured to one end of said arm and extending paralleltherewith, a stirrup mounted upon the other end of said arm and adaptedto limit the flexure of said spring relative to said arm to apredetermined small degree, and a contact member mounted upon the otherend of said spring. 7 4;. A switch comprising a base, a contact membersecured to. said base, an upright secured to said base, an arm pivotallymounted upon said upright, a flat spring secured to one end of said arm,a stirrup secured to the other end of said arm for limiting the movementof said spring relative to said arm, and a contact member mounted uponthe other end of said spring and adapted to cooperate with said othercontact member.

5. A switch having a base, a pivotally mounted arc shield associatedtherewith, and

a clip for retaining said are shield in place and comprising a springsecured to said base, and a bar pivotally mounted upon the other end ofsaid spring and adapted to engage said are shield.

6. In a switch, a pivotally mounted arc shield having a notch, and aresilient clip for cooperating with said notch to secure said shield inplace.

7. In a switch mechanism, an arm, a spring rigidly secured thereto, astirrup mounted upon said arm and adapted to limit the flexure of saidspring relative to said arm to a predetermined small degree, and acontact member mounted upon said spring.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 30th dayof June @LTVER P. HIPPLE.

